Kaiser Permanente
Division of Research Spotlight
The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes, and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and society at large. We seek to understand the determinants of illness and well-being, and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR’s 550-plus staff is working on more than 350 epidemiological and health services research projects.
A group of Kaiser Permanente investigators is inviting their study subjects — autistic people — to participate as research partners, providing their own unique perspective on being autistic. Their initial focus is on gender, sexuality, and reproductive health in autism, but once trained, the advisers could help shape any future research project.
Kaiser Permanente research scientists Lawrence H. Kushi, ScD, and Bette Caan, DrPH, contribute to new American Cancer Society survivorship guideline.
An analysis by Kaiser Permanente researchers suggests there may be clues in a child’s medical history about their risk for a substance use problem. The investigators used that research and input from parents to develop a free online risk prediction tool that anyone can use.
Researchers and clinicians with Kaiser Permanente Northern California are developing a wide-ranging research agenda to beat COVID-19, working at the accelerated pace demanded by a worldwide pandemic.
In the race to find safe and effective treatments for seriously ill patients with COVID-19, Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) is enrolling patients in nationwide clinical trials and pursuing other innovative treatment options.
A JAMA study, using data on patients hospitalized in March from all 21 Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals, is one of the first U.S. studies to look at overall hospitalization admissions of COVID-19 patients.
David Baer, MD, cofounded the KP Oncology Clinical Trials program in the 1980s. He has enrolled significant numbers of patients in these trials, and helped expand the regional effort into a national KP program. As a leading member of the Northern California Central Research Committee for most of his career, he provides valuable experience in the practicality of research within Kaiser Permanente.
Diabetes, medication safety, and understanding chronic conditions are just some of the research areas a new class of postdoctoral fellows at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research will support. The 3 early-career researchers began their appointments this past year.
The American Diabetes Association’s 2019 Norbert Freinkel Award has been presented to Kaiser Permanente researcher Assiamira Ferrara, MD, PhD, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the understanding and treatment of diabetes in pregnancy.
The former social worker now researches how to prevent and treat alcohol abuse in primary care. She's looking at ways to reduce alcohol, drug, and other behavioral health problems in at-risk children, adolescents, and adults.
